Posted 10 years ago
Mazzbob
(1 item)
I found the chair. Someone discarded it in the street more than 30 years ago. It was in pieces when I found and it had a very dark stain on it. There are no dowels that I have found when re-glued. It has a carved seat and all the wood is solid oak or laminated oak as in the seat. I just like to get a rough estimate on a date.
Difficult to tell because the chair has seen a good deal of amateur refitting. The crest board is way out of line and some of the spindles appear to have been replaced or cut down. The seat is, as you say laminated and from modern stock. The seat isn't actually carved. Once it is laminated it is run through a machine to get the contour for your buns. The age is only as old as the most recent work. Once you modify something it has a new birth date. Nice chair and sturdy for sitting and rocking.
Thanks for you input I appreciate the information. If the chair had been modified it was done before I found it. All the pieces were there it seemed that at some point it must have been subjected to a lot of moisture whereby the most of the pieces came apart. I was thinking it was from around the late 1800's or early 1900's.
I'm thinking you are right Mazz. Maybe up to the 20's or 30's.
"Once you modify something it has a new birth date."
Disagree-- modifications and repairs don't change the "birth" or age of the item unless the form has changed or most of it is not original. I would call these CONDITION ISSUES.
Your style of chair was popular and produced in numbers in the first quarter of the 20th century. I would think that your base chair is from that era. I'd have to see additional images to get a better judge on the condition issues to determine what has been replaced/ updated, etc...
scott
I would like to thank everyone that replied. I'm not a professional by any means and every once in a while I find a piece of furniture that someone discards. I have some fun making a piece of furniture useful again. This chair is pretty comfortable and I enjoyed using it. I thought it was manufactured around the turn of the century give or take a few years. I am happy with the results... Thanks to all.... Bob
Scott - When I worked for US Customs the requirement was the item be in it's original unaltered condition. If it was modified then the clock starts clicking again in terms of age.
We had this discussion previously.
As long as 50% of the item is original and it maintains its original character it is still classified as antique:
"Provided they retain their original character, the heading includes antique articles that have been repaired or restored. For example, the heading includes antique furniture incorporating parts of modern manufacture. However, if the essential character is changed, or more than 50% of the item has been repaired or restored, the item is no longer considered an antique and is subject to duty."
From the 2006 publication online:
http://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/documents/icp061_3.pdf
Most antique collectors would use a similar definition in determining if an item was antique.
scott
quote is from page 14.
scott
You are correct about what Chapter 97 says Scott but what it says and what they teach inspectors are two different things. Informed compliance also comes into play and the inspector's evaluation. Naturally dealers like to stretch both chapters and uncle sugar wants his cut. In addition to age and modification functionality is also supposed to be considered along with a number of other factors.
It is a moot point anyway because the chair isn't an antique by a number of years.
Fhr! You were part if "Babylon" (Jamaican expression for police, customs etc.) ? LOL!!